Summary:

Starts the night after Blair's seventeenth birthday party, Serena tells Chuck she saw him and Blair and wants him to leave her alone.
Blair/Serena moment, Chuck/Serena moment, Blair/Chuck moments of course.

I just felt like nobody really spoke to Chuck about C/B at the start so, here it goes.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

The sickly sweet smell of bright pink bubble gum filled the room, Blair smelled it, and she kind of almost tasted it. It was just like when you first slip strawberry bubble gum into your mouth and it touches your tongue and the sudden rush of sugar and flavour fills your mouth with saliva and you never want the taste to end, the gum was wanted and so very different in comparison to the exact same gum once you tire of the flavour, and once it's colour dulls to grey, it's spat onto the pavement in trade of a new one.

Blair knew making such comparison between her and Serena was rather ridiculous, foolish even, if she ever told Nate or Chuck they'd probably laugh. But that didn't stop Blair thinking about what place she would take in her ridiculously long metaphor.

She was gum on the pavement compared to new bubblegum pink Serena.

"B," Serena gushed, arms open wide. "Give me a hug."

"S," Blair looked up from stirring her olives in her drink and stood before Serena, walking into her arms. "You smell…different."

"Yeah some designer my mom knows gave it to her to give to me, for publicity or something," Serena rolled her eyes as if it was the worst thing in the world, as the bartender placed a drink in front of her without her even ordering, she nodded her thanks. "So, have fun at your party last night?" raising an eyebrow Serena sipped her martini.

"What you mean before, or after Nate was photographed with that Serena-wannabe-slut," Blair turned her gaze back to her drink and continued stirring. "It wasn't the night I expected." She admitted with a miniscule smile.

"I kind of meant after that, actually," She gave Blair a sideward glance. "What did you do after it ended? Kati said you stayed in her brothers room, must have been boring, on your own all night."

"I needed that though," Blair stated looking straight ahead before lifting her drink to her ruby lips and taking large gulps of the mixture, before looking to Serena. "Serena, I-"

"Wow B," Serena's navy eyes widened and she sat, mesmerized at Blair's neck. "That necklace is gorgeous-"A hand on her shoulder stalled her sentence.

"Isn't it just," Chuck Bass smirked appearing from behind Serena. "Has drinking at the palace become a regular thing ladies? Because if so I may need to hang out at home more often."

"This isn't a home, this is a hotel where you have a suite on your own," Serena rolled her eyes nudging his hand off her and looking to Blair who smiled up at Chuck deviously. "Right Blair?"

"My thoughts exactly," she bit down on her bottom lip before lifting her olives on a cocktail stick out of drink and into her mouth, sliding them clean off before catching drops of martini spilling out of the corners of her mouth on her tongue. "Mmmm, I think I need another one." She raised an eyebrow, turning away from them both. "But first I need to use the ladies room, excuse me." Blair hopped off her stool and flounced off, feeling Chuck's gaze on every inch of her body.

Once Blair was out of sight Serena turned to Chuck to see his gaze had not left the trail Blair had gone in. He was practically salivating.

"Ew," She shook her head before clicking her fingers in front of Chuck's face to escape him from his Blair-lust filled-daze. "I need to talk to you about something." Serena motioned to the stool in front of her before checking over her shoulder for sight of Blair's return.

"I'm only human," he muttered referring to her comment on his longing stare at Blair "And oh S, I'm flattered," Chuck began when she turned back to face him. "I know you've always had a thing for me, but I have a certain priority at the moment," he looked to Blair's empty martini glass motioning for the bartender to refill it before her return. "But I'll call you when I'm free, if your lucky."

He winked sipping his scotch and Serena's glare stayed on him, it was a mixture of fury and disgust and he had to give her another wink for being so boring.

"Be serious, because look Chuck, I need to trust you right now and this," she motioned to him as if he were a spill on the floor. "Isn't helping me with the trust thing."

"Your daddy issues or Nathanial issues or even your Humphrey Dumpty issues are none of my concern or interest," he rolled her eyes. "I'd skip the trust and just get onto why you're looking at me like I pissed on your Manolos."

"I saw you," Serena bowed her head giving in. "With Blair, at her party in Kati's brother's room."

"Well," Chuck sat up straighter now, much more intrigued. "Enjoy the show? Or was it too X rated for your tastes? "

"Well making out isn't exactly x rated but-" she paused seeing the doubtful look in his eyes. "It was just making out, right?"

"Yeah, sure, of course." He answered quickly sipping more scotch.

"Right," Serena nodded, foolishly. "Anyway, Chuck, please just leave her alone, she's already had her heart broken by Nate and she does not need an ass like you smarming his way into her bed-"

"How do you know it's not the other way round?" he rose an eyebrow, training his gaze on her wide eyes.

"Because you could never deserve someone like Blair and that's, that, Blair isn't an idiot, she'd never be the one to seduce someone who isn't worth anyone's time, let alone her own."

Serena finished, a guilty feeling filling her gut straight away upon looking at Chuck's hurt expression. She wasn't really sure where the words had come from, but saying them to Chuck was always safe because he always had something worse at the ready to fire back, except for now. Now he wore a look Serena had never seen on him before, he looked like a real human being, in vast comparison to the robot he usually was.

"I would never do what you think I would to others to her." He stated and stared straight ahead upon hearing Blair's return.

"Hey," Blair smiled softly as he stood she slipped back into her newly vacated seat. "What are we talking about?-"

"Nothing that concerns you," Chuck shrugged downing the rest of his drink. "Serena would rather I leave it seems so, enjoy the drinks, on me of course." He placed a wad of hundreds next to Serena and turned walking in the opposite direction without a second glance back.

Blair watched his retreating form and her gut twisted, her throat tight.

"What the hell Serena?" Blair wondered aloud chocolate doe eyes shining. "Why'd he leave, what happened?"

"I," Serena wanted to tell her she saw them, like she told Chuck, but it just didn't come out, it wouldn't because after seeing Chuck's reaction, she wasn't sure she could handle Blair's just yet.

"He thought I had a crush on him, I let him down gently as I could but he couldn't take it, no big deal." Serena shrugged, checking her phone to avoid Blair's glare. "I gotta go, come on."

"I, um," Blair pondered her throat now feeling hoarse and dry. "I have to wait here for my mom, she's meeting me here."

"Oh, you sure?" Blair nodded and Serena hugged her lightly. "Coffee tomorrow and Audrey?"

Blair responded with a wave and Serena smiled satisfied before breezing out of the palace leaving Blair alone, and filled with anxiety.

It was around this time Blair decided drinks were a good idea, a few more martinis wouldn't hurt and just the one little scotch.

An hour and a half later it had turned into a lot more than that.

"Are you feeling okay miss?" the bartender worriedly peered at her as Blair laid her head on the bar and began to murmur to herself, and then sob. "Want me to call someone or something?"

"Yes," Blair responded quickly he head shooting up. "Take me to Mr. Ch-ch-Bass's room."

Once she finally made it and he opened the door the anger she had turned to sadness and cried out at the bar, returned, full force.

"How dare you trade me in for a new prettier gum," she yelled pushing past him. "How dare you take all of my colour and get bored of my flavour and spit me on the street, bastard."

Blair slurred crashing toward the bar and grabbing a bottle of something before throwing herself onto his bed, closing her eyes and yawning, she was very tired maybe she'd sleep a little and yell at him after.

"Waldorf," she felt him lay next to her, kissing her hair gently. "I will never get bored of your flavour."

That was when Blair fell asleep content in the knowledge she could tell him she couldn't remember him saying that.

When obviously even in her drunken state, she always would.